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PAX East 2012 BYOC Info/FAQ - Post-Event Feedback starts on page 14

Finally over!
Thanks for everyone who came out and were understanding about the problems. I did the best I could under the conditions and I hope it showed. For the most part it seemed everyone enjoyed themselves.

This was likely my most stressful BYOC ever :-/

Here are my takeaways, please don't post about them (we are looking for new suggestions afterall, not problems we are aware of) as I am highly aware of it and working on it for next time.

Pros:
Way larger space, it was sweet.
View from the skybridge was epic
Huge stage
Lots of prizes from LANfest!
Projector screens

Cons:
Heard prizes were stolen... this sucks but honestly we said don't leave those laying around... Someone suggested an equipment coatcheck system for prizes.... this is an interesting idea and will be explored further, but that's passing the lialibility onto us instead of the individual, don't know if that would get approved. We shall look into it though.

The noise from expo was extreme at times. I was also muted on how loud I could turn the PA system because we were considered the "Expo floor" and they had restrictions on voice amplification (didn't seem to stop some other vendors though). Hopefully we can remain on Level 0 but maybe further away from expo.

Network.... Yes I know. It sucks. Nothing I could personally do about that but relay information back and forth. All I could do was escalate the issues up. We did so to one of the PAX show managers. It got better after Friday but was still meh

The "Soft" wall between us and Expo... That wasn't as soft as it seemed... there was a metal barricade between the two rows of pipe&drape, along with PC Security doing patrols and an MCAA security person stationed in the DMZ. It didnt do anything to the impression of security though and certainly didn't kill any noise from expo.

The stage layout left much to be desired... we will try and shoot for a larger space around the stage for people to gather for events and whatnot.

No stream of main theater events... Sadly the network issues destroyed that one, boo. That stream is the only way I am able to view events

Things I tried to do but a wrench got thrown in the works:
Set contest schedule (network issues made me re-do this last second)
More interesting projectors (tried to keep them in sync as much as possible...)
Intranet page with more relevant info... My goal was to keep this fully updated but I lagged behind quite often due to dealing with tons of different issues.

Things that wont change:
Competitive gaming? Sorry, that's not what PAX is about. Yes I know there is a minority of people that want this but if you want tournament gaming BYOC isn't the place for that. The most I am likely to do competitive wise is a high score on some games, but those games are not the ones you would consider for "Pro Gamers". The closest I got to that this past PAX was UT2k4 instagib matches and some limited TF2 things. At least when the network was functional
People keep asking for this but its the same few people, the vast majority doesn't care or enjoys the more causal environment of BYOC which is what my goal is. It will never become a mini MLG.
If you want to enter tournaments go hit up the PC Tournament department.

Events only during non Expo Hours? Nope! I will continue to do events throughout the day at future BYOC's. Not everyone is interested in being in one area for most of the day. What will happen is a concrete schedule (which I tried for this year but had to throw that out the window) so you can pick and choose what you want to do. Last prime I had a set schedule of events and managed to stick to it because things ran smoothly for BYOC. Hopefully we can bring that smoothness to the next East

]WE JUST SENT OUT AN EMAIL THAT YOU SHOULD READ! IT HAS IMPORTANT INFO!
If for some reason you didnt get it, here it is:

If you've never been to a LAN party, be sure to bring the following equipment:

BYOC barcode that you were emailed and printed out (from the Intel LAN Fest site) (if you don't have it yet, don't sweat, they should be out by the end of the week prior to PAX East)
Photo ID (You will need this to pick up your BYOC Badge)
3 day PAX pass
Computer
Monitor (Please no bigger than 24" LCD or 21" CRT... hopefully everyone has moved onto LCD by now)
Keyboard
Mouse (we recommend wired, just to avoid any potential interference)
Mouse pad
Ethernet cable (20 feet should be sufficient, but it's better to have longer than shorter).
Power cables
Headphones
Games CDs/DVDs, Windows CD, and backups for other programs you may need to install/reinstall.

We suggest printing off this list checking each item as you pack it. If you end up forgetting something, talk to an Enforcer and we might be able to hook you up. If we can't, Best Buy is less than a mile away:

Best Buy
14 Allstate Road
Dorchester, MA 02125

Please update/patch your games before coming to PAX East. This includes updating Steam, Impulse, Origin, and such. You will have access to the Internet while at PAX East, but the more time you spend doing something you could have done at home, the less time you'll spend having fun. Plus we have limited bandwidth.

It is also mandatory that you run virus protection on your computer before connecting it to our network. Any computers that are found with a virus will be immediately disconnected from the network until the matter is resolved.

--- PAX East BYOC Location & Badge Pickup --

Lots of updates can be found on BigRed's forum thread (referenced at the start of the email), along with handy loading/unloading info. BYOC is located in Level 0 / Expo Hall B1 on the West side of the building.

Thursday:
BYOC Badge pickup will be at PAX Reg/Will-Call. This is THURSDAY ONLY 8am-8pm. We will be staffing a booth of Registration for your convenience so you can get your badge before you check in your equipment.

Friday - Sunday:
BYOC Badge pickup will move to the PC Security desk. If you didn't get your badge on thursday you can get it when you check in for BYOC.

--- Unloading on Friday of PAX ---

We ended up not being able to use the loading dock, but we do have easy access from the road for those of you driving. Here are some descriptions with pictures! (clickable links)

Pull in to the Westin/BCEC area at the base of the giant media wall. Follow this road (West Side Drive) all the way past the building, and down and back up the ramps. Keep following the road until you get to Level 1 Northwest.

We will have signs posted where the load-in area will be and there will be a security station there that can hold your equipment for you while you park your car.

For those of you staying at the Westin, simply cross the skybridge from the second level of the hotel and there will be signage to direct you to the pc from there. Thankfully it's not the long trek from the front of the BCEC like it was last year!

Note that BYOC opens at 8:00am on Friday, two hours earlier than the rest of the show. Obviously that's pending our ability to make sure things are totally ready for you, but the idea is you'll be able to set up your rig with plenty of time to hop in the Expo Hall line so you can be among the first to explore it's riches.

Make sure you print out the barcode (which should be sent soooon). If you don't have your 3-day pass shipped to you, you can pick it up from Will Call in the North Lobby, the big huge room in front of the expo hall. (On Thursday only, you will be able to get your BYOC Badge at Will Call as well, otherwise it will be in front of BYOC).

If you have any PC related questions at all during PAX East, please see the BYOC Desk (In front of the Stage). If they're not able to provide a solution, they'll be able to direct you to the right people to get your problem solved. If you're in need of tech support, please see the help desk at the back of the BYOC room.

--- Security Information ---

Of course, there's more to do at PAX than just play PC games, and we want you to be able to go do all of these things secure in the knowledge that your computer and peripherals are safe and sound. To that end, we probably put a much higher emphasis on security than most other LAN parties. Before you enter the PAX East BYOC area, you will have to quickly register your computer and any monitor you're bringing into the computer area (you'll have to check them out as well). We've gone to great lengths to keep the security processes in check, and as such, please keep your BYOC badge as visible as possible when entering the room.

While we will make every attempt to keep all equipment in the room safe, be aware that there is little we can do to prevent ipods, portable game consoles, CD's, big wads of cash, and other small items from walking off. We strongly suggest you keep such items out of plain view and use some common sense when it comes to your own security.

If you're coming with a laptop, we also strongly recommend you invest in a laptop lock particularly if you plan on leaving your laptop unaccompanied while you rock out to the concerts. If you don't know what kind to get, pick anything from this list:

Your BYOC camp counselor/activities director this year will be BigRed. He'll be in charge of making sure you're having fun while you're sitting at your computer.

If you joined us in years past you'll be familiar with the BYOC activities we run. Unlike the tournaments, they're kept pretty casual and serve as a great way to have some quick fun, and perhaps win some prizes along the way. Although they are generally exclusive to BYOC attendees, sometimes they will be using freeplay computers, particularly for events in games that not everyone may have. More information will be available at PAX East.

--- Sponsorship Information ---

PAX East BYOC 2012 has Intel Inside (literally) through LANFest. The room could not and would not exist without their support, so props to them!

As always our intranet page will be at http://pax/ (The link won't work until you're on our network, of course!). Expect it to contain a Twitter feed among other social communication platforms along with Game server info, Schedule Info, and possibly some contest stuff!

--- Voice Chat Information ---

We will have a couple Ventrilo servers available for tournaments and public gaming. While we will have the client available on our file server, it is recommended that you download and install Ventrilo before you come to the event. You can download the client at http://www.ventrilo.com.

Server address information will be available at PAX on the intranet site.

See you guys there!

ALRIGHT HERE WE GO!
Although I have some good news and some bad news.

Lets start with the bad:

PC room is on Level 0, B1 this year. On the right side (of the below chart) the airwall will be deployed, however on bottom it will be a half height wall. Sadly this wont block out much noise. Luckily most of the noise will be coming from the other side of the airwall.
Luckily expo hall closes at 6pm.

Good news!:

Due to a shortage of tables BYOC got "Stuck with" 6ft tables instead of 8ft tables. What this means for you guys is you get slightly more space (a couple inches) since its 2 people per 6ft table rather than 3 people per 8ft table.

Also...

Group seating is up!
This is for groups of 6 people or larger.
If you don't have 6 don't worry, if you show up early enough you will be able to get seats together.

What I need from a GROUP LEADER:
Group name
What seats you want
Names (handles is fine) of people in your group
A way to contact you if you don't think your group will be there early or if you are running late.

Group seating rules/misc:
Seats will be held until NOON on FRIDAY. After that we will have to release them for anybody to grab.
Groups will be allowed to check in first at 8am on Friday.
Group leaders need to police their group, we have had issues where friends of people in a group would sit in a group sometimes taking up other groups seats (When they are next to each other). If theres a dispute I will have to refer back to the list of handles and make the offenders relocate.

Please don't make this difficult since this is done as a courtesy to you guys so groups can sit together.

Group seating pic
(Note the stage/entrance BYOC tables in the top left arent to scale other than their location. Also speakers for announcements will be in every corner and in the top/bottom middles, 6 speakers total. Just so people know who are sensitive to or need extra volume)

Posts

Q: Can I transfer my BYOC ticket to someone else?
A: Short answer is, NO. You can only get a refund for your ticket via Intel LANfest.

Long answer:
We did this to kill the scalping of tickets which got WAY out of hand a few years ago. You can get a refund for the ticket price via LANfest but ticket transfers are not allowed.
Refund requests must be submitted BEFORE Friday, March 30th if you cannot attend PAX BYOC This year.

Q: How many BYOC Spots will be available?
A: Around 360 seats.

Q: How much does BYOC cost?
A: $30 in addition to your PAX 3day pass.

Q: What time do you recommend (or require) people show up for BYOC check-in?
A: Check in will start 2 hours before PAX opening. We aim to have it all complete an hour before PAX opens, to give people an hour to get their stuff hooked up and ready.

Q: What hours does the BYOC run each day?
A: Same hours as PAX. The room will have to be cleared at PAX closing. About 30min before closing there will be an in-room announcement to start wrapping up your games or whatever for the night before everyone gets kicked out at closing.

Q: Do I leave my stuff in the LAN the whole time?
A: Yes. The room is guarded all during PAX and locked up at night. We are the first ones in and the Last ones out. If you must take your stuff up (like a laptop) you need to Check it out at the security desk as you leave and check it back in when you return.

Q: What games are typically played?
A: Whatever is popular this year. TF2, LoL, COD4/5/6/7/8/9/10/etc, BF3, WoW, Starcraft 2, Portal 2, Monday Night Combat, L4D2, etc. If you want to play a game you can find others that are up for it as well.

Q: If I get a spot for the BYOC, I don't need to commit to being in there the whole time, right? Just when I feel like relaxing and playing some games with people?
A: Correct, you aren't chained to your spot in BYOC. The majority of BYOC attendees are just there in-between the PAX events that they want to go see.

Q: Can I bring my 30+ something inch monitor/TV?
A: The max monitor size is 24" due to power and space constraints.

Q: Can I bring my own chair?
A: NO! PAX and the convention center don’t allow this. It presents a safety issue with chairs that take up too much space and can roll into the isles.

Q: Can I bring a laptop with my desktop?
A: Yes as long as you stay within your 30" of table space. Although remember you only get one network port and two power ports per seat , So you will have to power down something of your desktop to charge your laptop.

Q: Can I bring a switch or own Power strip to increase that?
A: NO! No outside networking devices are allowed. Any spotted will be removed.
A: Daisy chaining power strips is a HUGE no as well. Fire Marshall hates that so we need to enforce this pretty seriously. Sorry.

Q: Do I need to bring a network cable?
A: Yes. You will need a network cable to hook your computer up to the network switch at your table. Bring around a 25ft cable otherwise; depending where you are sitting, the switch may be out of your cables reach.

Q: Can I bring *insert friend/Girlfriend/spouse/random person here* in BYOC with me?
A: No, Sorry. To ensure the security of everyone's personal equipment in a busy area such as PAX, only BYOC attendees are allowed into the BYOC room.

Q: Is there Internet in BYOC?
A: Yes there will be, although it will be locked down to prevent things like torrenting and throttled so not one person can use up all the bandwidth.

Q: But... how am I supposed to get my computer there?
A: Drive it! An alternate option which I have used to attend LANs that are far away, is to ship yourself your computer/monitor to your hotel you are staying at. If you call them and say you have a package coming they will hold it for you until you check-in. Just ship it back to yourself when PAX is over.

Q: Can I bring my xbox/playstation/nintendo console?
A: Sorry, no consoles allowed in here. This is a PC LAN. You can’t bring in a console in addition either, those things use up a lot of power.

Q: Can I Bring a cooler in for drinks/snacks?
A: Yes but only small personal coolers /w no ice (use the frozen gelpacks). If it has more than one handle and/or wheels then it won’t be allowed in (think lunch sized cooler).

Q: 3days are sold out! NOOOOOOO! What if I get 3 1 day passes? Will those work with the BYOC badge?
A: Yup! you just have to get into PAX with the PAX pass before you get into BYOC.

All information is subject to change as that’s the nature of the convention beast. We are not trying to be mean, things can always change without notice.

I'd love to surprise my bf by buying him a BYOC pass, but he doesn't have a laptop any more and his desktop (which, oddly enough, he won at PAX East 2010) is freakin' HUGE. Anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the shipping would be crazy on that, even though we're just in southern NH. But he's almost exclusively a PC gamer, so he'd totally love it.

I'd love to surprise my bf by buying him a BYOC pass, but he doesn't have a laptop any more and his desktop (which, oddly enough, he won at PAX East 2010) is freakin' HUGE. Anyone have any suggestions? I feel like the shipping would be crazy on that, even though we're just in southern NH. But he's almost exclusively a PC gamer, so he'd totally love it.

Are you driving? Shipping is the only option for those who have to fly, but when you live a couple hours away, haul it yourself.

a.k.a. dya

"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe

Also an FYI - I shipped my computer to the Westin Waterfront (Con Hotel) last year - they charge a fairly exorbitant "Handling Fee" through the business center. If I recall it was something like $40 or $60 - which I had failed to ask about when I called ahead of time to verify that they would accept/hold the computer for me.

Anyone know if it would be cheaper to ship to a location (UPS store or something maybe?) near the Westin to avoid this fee? Otherwise, I'm thinking I'll just bring my Macbook Pro and play Minecraft and Robot Unicorn Attack (god damn you Red) the whole time.

My buddy and I took the Sonic Line train up last year. I shipped my system, he lugged his. He didn't have a hand truck, which meant he had to stop about every 50 feet to catch his breath from carrying the tower+monitor+regular luggage. Even with the hand truck, I'm not sure how much I really want to carry my rig on the train. Still... if the other option is paying $40+handling fees for shipping... maybe I will.

My buddy and I took the Sonic Line train up last year. I shipped my system, he lugged his. He didn't have a hand truck, which meant he had to stop about every 50 feet to catch his breath from carrying the tower+monitor+regular luggage. Even with the hand truck, I'm not sure how much I really want to carry my rig on the train. Still... if the other option is paying $40+handling fees for shipping... maybe I will.

I've carried roughly a metric ass-ton of cargo on the T before. The trick is to plan your timing for low volume travel hours. It's a helluva lot easier when there aren't 4 people per sq. meter on the train with you!

a.k.a. dya

"Riding a mongoose reminds me of having sex with a man, which is something I do frequently because I am gay!" -Gabe

Anyone know if it would be cheaper to ship to a location (UPS store or something maybe?) near the Westin to avoid this fee? Otherwise, I'm thinking I'll just bring my Macbook Pro and play Minecraft and Robot Unicorn Attack (god damn you Red) the whole time.

You could probably ship to a local area PAXer and have them bring it in with them, especially one of the many locals who sign up for BYOC . . .

Do unto others 20% better than you would expect them to do unto you, to correct for subjective error - Linus Pauling

My buddy and I took the Sonic Line train up last year. I shipped my system, he lugged his. He didn't have a hand truck, which meant he had to stop about every 50 feet to catch his breath from carrying the tower+monitor+regular luggage. Even with the hand truck, I'm not sure how much I really want to carry my rig on the train. Still... if the other option is paying $40+handling fees for shipping... maybe I will.

I've carried roughly a metric ass-ton of cargo on the T before. The trick is to plan your timing for low volume travel hours. It's a helluva lot easier when there aren't 4 people per sq. meter on the train with you!

Thanks! We had to lug the damn computer when he won it at PAX 2010, when the con said they weren't allowed to help/give us a hand truck... REALLY don't want to do that again!

The trains actually weren't too busy last year, so I think we timed it right. The commuter rail is easy all around, and the T is about timing, like you said. Waiting for the next train, especially say on the Green line, only takes a couple extra minutes but can really make a difference in how tightly packed the train is.

How often are missing equipment reports made? I want to know if its worth bringing my high end equipment, or casual low-end equipment.

I'm going to guess close to never. All equipment has to be signed in and out whenever it is brought in and out. Equipment can't just leave, not even with the owner, without serious approval. The area is under lock and key when PAX is closed. PC security is taken *incredibly* seriously. That doesn't mean NOTHING has ever gone missing, but it would be pretty hard to sneak something out.

What he said. I've never had a problem. Everything entering the room is slapped with a barcode, tagged to the owner's BYOC badge, and scanned in. If any piece of equipment leaves the room, it's scanned and verified that the person taking it has authority to remove it. It's VERY secure, in my experience . . .

Do unto others 20% better than you would expect them to do unto you, to correct for subjective error - Linus Pauling

BigRed and his crew do an awesome job with security. Both my buddy and I bring our laptops with us for BYOC and we just leave them there all weekend. Haven't had a problem yet! (Mind you, we do lock them down with laptop locks)

Guess i'll be bringing my higher end equipment. Good to know that they barcode your items- makes me feel a lot more secure, since the parents don't exactly approve of leaving my PC in a room full of strangers.